One Sky, One Destiny
by Raberba girl
Summary: For the 10th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts. The hearts of Sora and his friends will always be connected.
1. Kingdom Hearts

One Sky, One Destiny

**(ROUGH DRAFT)**

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl

Summary: 10th anniversary fic for the Kingdom Hearts series. Just a short tribute, nothing fancy.

A/N: AS USUAL, **I'm really lame about paying attention to the timeline**. -.-

o.o.o

One walked the paths between worlds, far from home and knowing that all was not well with those he held dear.

One struggled in the darkness, desperate to keep his newly-freed heart from being consumed once again.

One waited alone on a dark shore, watching life blossom into light and color around her, but knowing there was a vital part of it still empty.

Torn apart again after all too brief reunions, yet their hearts were still connected with an unbreakable bond...

o.o.o

Sora sat in the dark field, watching the fire as Donald and Goofy slept restlessly beside him. "I hope Riku's okay..." So many adventures and battles, so much strife and desperation, yet the hardest thing he had ever done in his life was to shut that door with his best friend on the wrong side of it. "I _promise_ you, Riku. I'll find a way to get you back."

Sora sighed and lay down on his stomach, staring into the fire again as he propped his chin on one hand. He wondered what Kairi was doing. He felt terrible, abandoning her there on that empty beach all by herself, even though he had tried his best to hold onto her. He refused to believe that he might never see her again. "Kairi...Riku...I promise..." His eyes drifted closed.

o.o.o

The cold silence of this place was starting to get to him. After what he'd been through, Riku would choose overwhelmingly white walls over darkness without hesitation, but it was getting harder and harder to remember that as he made his way through the castle. The incessant brightness was starting to feel suffocating...

Riku sighed and placed a hand on the wall - just to rest for a moment. He couldn't tell whether he was so tired from the battles, or from low spirits. "I've got to...pull it together..." He had to find the way out of here and figure out how to get home, back to Kairi and hopefully Sora. _Hopefully_ Sora. He had no idea if Sora had managed to make it back to the Islands or not.

Though, tainted as he was now, Riku didn't...exactly relish the thought of facing his homeworld again. "I just...wanna make sure you're safe...Sora, Kairi..." He didn't know what he would do after that - hide, wander the worlds, he didn't particularly care - as long as he just had the chance to make sure his best friends were all right.

So tired...

o.o.o

It was getting dark. She really should head home, her parents would be upset with her for staying out so late alone, especially after everything that had happened. But...she couldn't...tear herself away...

"I miss you already," Kairi whispered, laying her hand over the drawing Sora had scratched into the cave wall. "I just saw you a few hours ago, and already I miss you so much."

Sora was not the only one she missed. She had looked everywhere she could think of, but she hadn't been able to find Riku anywhere. "What were you boys _doing_ all this time?" She had been so confused - her happy life had been swallowed by a long, long nightmare that she couldn't remember but which still made her shiver every time she thought of it. Then so many strange things had happened upon her awakening, some of them awful.

"Why couldn't I be with you?" Apparently they'd gone gallivanting off across many worlds, and she'd _slept through it_. They'd fought life-or-death battles and triumphed over evil, and she'd been uselessly waiting. Then the Islands had been restored and they were all supposed to be together again, but Sora had literally been ripped out of her hands and Riku was nowhere to be found. "Why am I always the one being left behind...?"

Still sitting there against the cave wall with her knees drawn up, Kairi rested her face against her arms and cried. "Sora...Riku..."

She drifted to sleep before the tears had dried.

o.o.o

It was dark, but a heart-shaped moon shone radiantly in the sky, illuminating their faces as they uncurled. "Mmmm! So sleepy," Sora yawned, stretching his arms in the air.

Goofy chuckled. "A-hyuck, I think we _are_ asleep, Sora."

Sora stared. "Oh. Yeah, I guess we are."

"Only way we'd be able to see each other like this," Riku murmured softly, gazing at the ground.

"Wak! Almost fell off," Donald yelped, scrambling to get better settled on the pillar they all seemed to be perched on.

Kairi smiled and climbed higher up, reaching out carefully with one hand to touch her friend's knee. "Where have you been, Riku?"

"Nowhere," he mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Sora exclaimed. "You were in the Realm of Darkness, I saw you! How'd you get out, Riku?"

"..."

"Why so glum, Riku?" Goofy wondered.

"Yeah!" Kairi exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in ages, I've been worried sick, and you're acting like you can't stand me!"

Riku's head shot up. "That's not true!"

Sora grinned and clapped him on the back. "You know she doesn't blame you for the whole 'I'm gonna turn to the Dark Side to get your heart back' thing."

"Shut up," Riku growled as he looked away again, hoping that none of them could see him blushing in the dark.

"_I_ blame him," Donald pouted.

"Donald!" Sora scolded.

The duck winked. "But maybe if he says sorry really nice, I'll forgive him."

"I'm sorry," Riku mumbled.

Donald blinked. "Oh. Well, good!"

"I'm glad we can all be friends," Goofy said happily.

"I am, too," Kairi said meaningfully, taking her friend's hands.

"Me, too," Sora declared, scooting closer and smiling at them both. "And I'm also glad we can finally all be together."

"It won't last, stupid," Riku sighed. "We're asleep, remember? This'll all be gone as soon as we wake up."

"Then let's make the most of the little time we _do_ have together," Kairi urged.

"Yeah!" Sora said eagerly. "Hey, let's climb down and see if there's anyplace around here that sells ice cream."

Riku stared at him in astonishment. "Ice- You're thinking of _ice cream_ at a time like this?"

"What's wrong with ice cream?" Donald challenged.

"I like ice cream," Goofy offered.

"Me, too!" Sora laughed. "Come on, Riku! There's this new blue flavor I've been wanting to try."

At last, Riku smiled a little. "Well, why not." Kairi was staring, and he suddenly felt self-conscious. "What?"

"I've just...never seen you smile like that before." She smiled back. "You look really sweet, Riku."

"Huh?"

Sora laughed. "I kinda see what she means. Before, you were always kind of smirky."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Riku said indignantly as Donald and Goofy began to chuckle.

"Oh, forget that, we have to hurry and find some ice cream before one of us wakes up!"

"Whatever."

The boys scrambled down, Riku reached up to tug Kairi's hand as Sora stood at his side to catch her, and then the five of them made their way down the street together.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: This was VERY last-minute. I'd wanted to do drabbles for all six games, but ran out of time; if I ever do manage to get to them, I'll add them to the end of this as new chapters. Oh, and sorry for the title that I'm sure has probably been overused, but I like it a lot, and I think it fits what I was thematically aiming for.

Man, so I got on the computer this morning, and it seemed like half the Internet was amiably exploding with KH 10th anniversary stuff. So I was like, ":O I gotta write one, too!" But I was so freaking busy today! Managed to scribble out the beginning of the KH1 drabble while in the doctor's office, then scribbled more of it at work later while waiting for my student to show up, but by the time I got home, it was late and I had to scramble trying to get this thing typed/finished/quick-edited/posted before midnight. *wince* I made it, though! Yay! Happy birthday, Kingdom Hearts! :D


	2. Chain of Memories

_**One Sky, One Destiny**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl  
>Part 2: Chain of Memories (rough draft)<strong>

_7 December 2012, North American anniversary of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories_

Summary: No need for Naminé to give up all hope just yet.

A/N: Lol - there _might_ be timeline issues again, I'm not sure yet. Depends on how well I can clarify in the final draft.

o.o.o

It was...kind of hard to draw them when they were moving around like that, actually, but she didn't mind. It was enough to just get a chance to watch them and admire them. They were so strong. Sora and Riku weren't afraid of anything. Riku would always keep them safe, and Sora's smile would always light up the sky.

"Noooo, not again!"

"Heh, keep practicing, Sora."

The boys tossed their wooden swords aside and threw themselves down to the sand on either side of Naminé, looking tired and sweaty, but happy.

"You're getting better, Sora," she said encouragingly. "You almost beat him that time."

Sora's face lit up. "Really?"

"Sora, you couldn't beat me in a million years," Riku drawled, idly fiddling with the hem of Naminé's skirt under his fingers. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he sat up, red-faced, and started sticking her crayons in the sand instead, as if making a fortification.

"I will so! I practice every day."

"So do I."

"Umm," Naminé broke in, not wanting to see an argument. "It's so hot out here. You wanna go get some lemonade?"

"Yeah!"

"Whatever; if you will, I will."

They went back to the house and Naminé got out the pitcher so she could serve it to them. Riku pulled out her chair for her like a gentleman, and Sora thanked her with a big smile. "This is really good, Naminé!"

"Well, Mom made it, but I'm glad you like it."

"Did you draw us again?" Riku wanted to know.

She blushed, but let them see the pictures she had made that afternoon.

"Ooohhh! Look, it's me!"

"It's both of us."

"You draw really good, Naminé!"

"How come you never draw yourself?" Riku suddenly asked.

"Huh? Oh...I don't know..." She didn't want to talk about this. The world suddenly felt flat, like a picture. A thought came to her mind. _'I don't draw myself because I don't want to see how I'm all alone.'_

It was nighttime. The three of them lay on the beach, hands clasped.

"Look, Naminé!" Sora said, pointing. "A shooting star! Make a wish."

"Umm..." _'I wish I could be together with you forever.'_

"Did you wish something?"

"Yes..."

"What'd you wish for?"

"Shut up, Sora," Riku said on her other side. "If she tells her wish, it won't come true."

"Oh yeah..."

"It's okay," Naminé said, squeezing their hands to reassure herself. "As long as we stay like this...I won't have to worry about my wish not coming true."

"We can stay as long as you want, Naminé," Sora said happily, and she smiled.

Someone was holding her. He was warm, safe; nothing could hurt her as long as she lay in his arms like this.

"You want to know what I wished for?" Riku said softly.

"Hm?" They weren't children any longer. His silvery hair brushed his shoulders; his arms were strong and muscled, a warrior's arms. His hand cupped her face softly as he gazed at her with eyes sharpened by experience and hardship. There was something different about him. And she couldn't shake the sense that there was supposed to be a second boy. "What...what did you wish for, Riku?"

"I think you already know," he whispered. "Naminé."

It was difficult to speak. She was captivated and afraid all at once. "Yes?"

"I should tell you... I gave you my heart."

Was he...declaring his love...?

He took her hands, and she sat up. "I didn't know where else to go," he said quietly, his eyes more intense than ever. "I was...afraid of the dark...just like Larxene said. I'm not so different from him after all. I couldn't go to the darkness that was pulling me. But, you...your heart was so warm and full of light..." He looked a little ashamed. "I stayed with you instead. Hidden inside. And...I thought...if you and the others have a chance, when you're Nobodies...maybe I do, too. As long as you let me stay."

"You're him," she whispered in awe. The replica. The one whose heart she had broken in more ways than one, now finding refuge with her, still trusting her.

"Please don't send me away. I have nowhere else to-" His eyes widened as she embraced him.

"You're safe with me," she assured him. She felt a tear drop onto her shoulder.

"Thank you, Naminé."

The alarm clock was ringing. Kairi awakened with a gasp, sitting up to stare around her sunshine-filled room. "Another dream about them..."

Once she was ready to go, she hesitated, then picked up the card Even had given her. A white castle, full of secrets and lost memories...

Kairi finally slipped the card into her book bag and headed off for school.

o.o.o.o.o

The nice thing about this new adventure was that they actually had time to prepare for it beforehand. "Who needs a snorkel when you can breathe underwater?" Sora laughed, pointing at the items on the shelf. He was going shopping for supplies with his friends.

"Yeah, but we can only breathe underwater when we're in Atlantica," Jiminy said thoughtfully. "A snorkel might come in more handy for somewhere like Port Royal."

"Aw, now, Atlantica's a fun world," Goofy remarked happily. "Gettin' ta see the ocean like that..."

"Neverland's fun, too," Donald laughed. "Flying so easy, and you never get tired."

"Don't forget the Pride Lands," Sora added. "That place is awesome."

They continued chatting as they moved down the aisles, adding useful (and a few useless but cool) items to their cart. At the cash register, Sora was laughing at one of Goofy's jokes when something caught his eye.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Sora?" Donald asked.

"Oh...well, I was just thinking that girls would probably like it - it's cute." Sora was now holding the star-shaped charm he had taken from the little jewelry rack.

"Huh - that looks kinda familiar," Goofy commented, frowning as he searched his memory.

"I think I'll buy it," Sora decided.

o.o.o.o.o

Kairi hadn't realized how much she loved the islands until she had been taken from them. Now she seldom took for granted or failed to relish the presence of the sea, the unceasing sound of its waves and the taste of the salty wind rushing across its waters. Her eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, but she smiled as she sensed Sora scrambling up to sit on the tree trunk next to her.

"Hey, Kairi!"

She turned to him with a smile. "Hello, Sora. Did you guys find everything you need?"

"Yup. I don't think we can squeeze in anything else - I'm kinda wondering where we're gonna be able to stash munny drops and new items and stuff..."

She tilted her head in curiosity when she saw the yellow charm. "What kind of stats does that one have?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh, no, it's not an Accessory, I just..."

Kairi stared. He was blushing. "Are you okay, Sora?"

"I- Um, well...I just..." He expelled a breath, perhaps trying to get his thoughts in order. "Um...this is for her."

It took Kairi a few seconds to get it. "Ohhh..."

"Yeah. Since you already gave me your charm, I thought you guys should have one, too."

She smiled a little sadly as she reached to accept the charm. "She says she'll miss you. I'll miss you, too."

"Yeah..." He was fidgeting now. "Kairi?"

"Yes?"

"Um...th-this is for her, too." He leaned close, then stopped, looking anxious.

Kairi caught on more quickly this time. She found herself leaning back, and tried to take a deep breath to calm herself. _'Hold on a sec, Kairi.'_ He was changing things, going too fast, but when she searched his face, she decided that he wasn't just using this as an excuse. It really wasn't her he wanted to change things between, and the knot of apprehension in her chest loosened in relief. "Sora..."

"You don't have to," he started to whisper, then abruptly cleared his throat and leaned back. He was blushing harder than ever. "You don't have to," he repeated, more loudly.

Kairi thought a while, evaluating her feelings. Yes. Herself, the one who could see this dear friend of hers clearly, that part of her had never changed. It was the other side of her heart that was fluttering so wildly with shock and anxiety and hope and despair. _'Sssh. It'll be all right.'_ She smiled a little and took out the card with the white castle on it. "Here."

"Huh?"

"Even gave it to me, but I'm pretty sure it's actually for you. He said you'd know what to do with it."

Sora took the card and then stared at it in perplexity.

Kairi kissed his cheek and then hopped to the ground. "I'm gonna head home. Meet us for dinner at 6:30, okay? Riku said that King Mickey and the others are coming, too."

"Okay..." He still looked so cutely bewildered, like a puppy wondering where its friend had gone.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled again. "Save your kiss - I'm sure she'll like it better if she can have it all to herself."

"Ah...!"

Kairi walked away, smiling a little as she listened to Naminé's heart alongside her own.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: The first half of this was drafted when I was awake for much of the night, unable to sleep as a side-effect of the medication I'm taking. I've been sick for a month now, it's annoying. Still, if not for that insomnia, I certainly would not have been able to get this fic done in time, so I suppose I'm grateful for that. ^^;

**Ftr, I find the whole body-sharing thing to be really disturbing. And the vague afterlife stuff was difficult to write because it doesn't mesh with my religious beliefs. *wince***

With these _One Sky, One Destiny_ fics, I'm trying to capture as best I can the "essence" of each game. Probably failing miserably, but that's the idea. There's also another sort of "theme" linking them all together, but I'll point that out at the end of the series.

Whoo, let's talk about pairings!

**Sora/Kairi** - They're my "canon OTP" in the sense that I feel they are meant for each other, and I would be upset if they ended up with different people in canon, but I don't like them in fandom. XD In any case, it's undeniable that Sora is in love with Kairi. I will RELUCTANTLY acknowledge that there is _room_ for Kiryn's theory that his feelings changed upon reuniting with her at the end of KH2; and I would definitely say that Kairi's feelings for Sora could be interpreted as either platonic or romantic, it's not confirmed either way. I still ship SoKai in canon, though. Specifically in this fic, it worked best for Kairi to see Sora as a close friend only, and for Sora to have conflicting feelings between Kairi & Naminé.

**Sora/Naminé** - I've never really liked this pairing. (I ship based on how I feel first, and only figure out the reasons later.) Kiryn's love for it motivated me to actually spend some time evaluating it, and I've decided that, A) this pairing makes a lot of sense and I can definitely understand why some people love it, and B) I think the reason I dislike the pairing is because it seems like a sad and hopeless romance to me, and I like happy sparkly rainbow things. *sweatdrop* So I kind of support the pairing without actually liking it? Something like that. In this fic, Sora is torn between his feelings for Kairi and his feelings for Naminé, with SoNami implied to be winning out. XD Also, I think this is actually my first excuse for a SoNami fic! :O

**Riku/Naminé and Riku/Kairi** - My favorite pairing for Naminé (though I don't really like her and therefore don't really care about shipping her); I think it makes sense because of KH2. (Ftr, I like Riku best as romantically single; Sora's his best friend and I don't care about shipping Riku beyond that.) I like Riku/Kairi all right and I think there was decent enough evidence for it in KH1, but I was frustrated by the way Riku seems to practically forget about Kairi's existence after KH1. -.- Nomura, is it too much to ask for some consistency? In this fic, Riku thinks of Kairi as a dear friend/sister; the ship-tease was honestly unintentional - like, it was just supposed to be one of those awkward moments, I don't want it to be read as implying that Riku's ever actually in love with Kairi. His feelings for Kairi are transferred to Naminé, since Nami's taking Kairi's place in the dream world.

**Repliku/Naminé** - I started taking an interest in this pairing because of the group dedicated to them on DevArt, and I'm starting to think it has a similar appeal to me that pairings like Xion/Vanitas, Aeris/Kadaj, and Tomoe/Enishi do. Not _exactly_ the same, but similar. Naminé's definitely my favorite ship for Repliku, which is dumb because then my ships look like this: Riku/**Naminé**, **Repliku**/Naminé. XD *headdesk* Cooperate, Naminé! Kiryn seems to have similar problems shipping them. *sweatdrop* Anyway, in this fic...it's very "Kingdom Hearts"ish, I guess? Can be read either way, I didn't have it specific in mind whether he's actually in love with her or not.

**Roxas/Naminé** - I've never liked this pairing. (I've written RokuNami, and they can be adorable in fanart, but that doesn't mean I like the pairing.) I think there is ZERO evidence or chemistry for them in canon, with the exception of Square Enix suddenly realizing at the end of KH2 that they ought to ship-tease a love interest or something, hence the bizarre "We'll be together every day! :D" scene that came out of nowhere. In this fic, Roxas & Naminé are casually friendly acquaintances. If Sora ever tried to kiss Naminé with Roxas still hanging out in his heart, Roxas'd probably stick his figurative fingers in his figurative ears and whistle "Working Together" in the farthest corner of Sora's mind to give them the best he can manage for privacy. (And/or to hide from the squick, lol.)

By a happy coincidence, the KH2 anniversary is coming up soon - I hope hope hope I can draft its _One Sky, One Destiny_ installment in time to post on the actual day! And I've already posted for the Days anniversary, so if I can get the Days OSOD installment done quickly after that, maybe I'll be able to make the BBS and Coded ones, so yaaaayyyy for killing lots of birds with one stones! 8D orz


End file.
